The Invitation, directed by Jessica M. Thompson, is a modern-day gothic horror film that was released in late 2022. After her mother dies, Evie (Nathalie Emmanuel) decides that she wants to know the rest of her family and purchases a DNA testing kit. To her surprise, she finds a long-lost cousin in England who meets up with her and invites her to the English countryside to attend a wedding and meet the rest of the family members. When there, Evie meets Walter (Thomas Doherty), and what starts as a lavish fairytale romance quickly turns dark and twisted while uncovering her family history and true reasoning for her being invited to the wedding.
Gothic films have a specific look and feel to them. Dating back to the films inspired by the likes of Mary Shelley and Edgar Allen Poe, gothic horror has a mix of romance, suspense, horror, and typically the supernatural all laced together in an eerie ethereal way for our viewing pleasure. Typically, they are set in either an exquisitely intricate or slightly dilapidated castle or mansion and feature many foggy and forlorn looking landscapes. Many of the themes stem from social status, a family secret, and sexual deviance in some capacity. If you've just finished watching The Invitation and are craving more of that moody atmospheric feel, be sure to add these ten movies to your list.
Crimson Peak (2015)
Tom Hiddleston, Mia Wasikowska, and Jessica Chastain lead in this gothic horror directed by Guillermo del Toro. Edith (Wasikowska) marries Sir Thomas Sharpe (Hiddleston) and is whisked away to the English countryside in his stunning mansion. Thomas' sister, Lady Lucille, lives with them as well and Edith feels as if Lucille is keeping secrets. Having the ability to speak to the dead, Edith uses these skills to figure out why she is having so many ghastly visions and who exactly she is living in close quarters with. Crimson Peak offers so many of the standard gothic horror tropes and is visually stunning with its pops of color against the dreary backdrop. Weaving in love, horror, and the supernatural, this film checks all the boxes when looking for your gothic feel.
Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
One of the more popular reimagining's of Dracula, Bram Stoker's Dracula can be listed as one of the defining films for what makes a gothic horror movie. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola, this film takes an in depth dive of the original book and showcases Gary Oldman as Dracula and him finding love, lust and blood through the ages. This film won an Oscar for Best Costume Design, really nailing the victoria era look and feel that it needed. Also starring Winona Ryder as Dracula's muse Mina, Keanu Reeves as Johnathan Harker, and Anthony Hopkins as Abraham Van Helsing, the truly spectacular ensemble cast is the cherry on top.
Interview With the Vampire (1994)
Being the most divisive as far as perception and opinion goes, Interview With the Vampire is utterly surreal and lavish in feel, set design, and cinematography. Louis (Brad Pitt) becomes a vampire in the 18th century at the fangs of Lestat (Tom Cruise) and has to figure out how to navigate like as an immortal now. We also see Kirsten Dunst play Claudia, the young girl that Lestat turns to keep Louis from leaving him, which creates quite a dysfunctional family. The streets and homes of New Orleans are used as the location for filming, which offers such a dark and moody atmosphere that couples so well with brooding and picturesque vampires.
Sleepy Hollow (1999)
Tim Burton is iconic in the goth world, and he brings that elegant darkness to just about every film he makes, including Sleepy Hollow. Johnny Depp stars as Ichabod Crane who travels to the town of Sleepy Hollow to investigate a paranormal happening in the form of a headless horseman played by Christopher Walken. There, he meets Katrina Tassel (Christina Ricci) and we get the romance story mixed in among the murders and supernatural. The whole movie is filmed like a fairytale, making even a dead body seem whimsical and airy. The drab costumes and set design create the perfect contrast to the stark reds from bloodshed.
Dark Shadows (2012)
More Tim Burton for your viewing pleasure, this time with Johnny Depp starring as Barnabas Collins in Dark Shadows, who has returned from the dead as a vampire after breaking a witch's heart (Eva Green). Barnabas returns to his family home and has to learn how to navigate the new family dynamic and town that he used to have in the palm of his hand two centuries previously. Burton mixes humor in with drama and supernatural elements, making it a more modern take on a gothic film.
Van Helsing (2004)
This Universal Monsters tribute encapsulates castles, the supernatural, romance, and Transylvania as the ultimate gothic backdrop in Van Helsing. Starring Hugh Jackman as Van Helsing himself, he travels to Romania in search of Dracula and unexpectedly links up with Anna Valerious (Kate Beckinsale) to hunt him down. The fight scenes, monsters, and costumes are quintessential gothic film, and we see plenty of medieval weaponry in Van Helsing's arsenal.
Ready Or Not (2019)
The most modern of all the films on this list, Ready Or Not has a victorian gothic feel even in modern times. Samara Weaving stars as Grace who is due to wed Alex Le Domas at the Le Domas family mansion. Just as Grace is getting excited to get married, it comes to her attention that she's not actually there for holy matrimony, but instead as part of a sacrifice and pawn in a game the Le Domas' have played for years in order to keep them rich and established. The elaborate mansion, subtle victorian-era costumes, and importance of social status are the pillars of this gothic horror film.
The Others (2001)
Nicole Kidman stars in The Others as Grace, a heavily religious mother who moves herself and her two children to the coast of England during World War II. Her children have a rare disease that makes then incredible sensitive to sunlight, forcing her to keep her large, creaky home dark all day. In the midst of this, Grace starts to see ghosts, but thinks it's just her mind playing tricks on her until more unsettling moments continue to happen. This slow burn horror film uses its moody, dark out of necessity home to create such an unsettling aura to viewers.
Sweeney Todd (2007)
Yet again, another Tim Burton film to solidify him as a master of gothic films. Sweeney Todd is about barber Sweeney Todd (Johnny Depp) who is wrongly accused of a crime he didn't commit so the evil Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman) could steal his wife away from him. After 15 years in jail, he returns to home to exact his revenge via razor blade to those who sit in his barber's chair. Set in England, the drab and dreary landscape give that signature gothic feel. Equally charming as it is bloody, Sweeney Todd deserves a watch.
The Woman In Black (2012)
Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe) is a recently widowed lawyer is sent to a village to handle the affairs of a deceased eccentric client. After arriving in the village, he starts to realize they're hiding a secret and that the home of the deceased is haunted by a malevolent spirit known as the woman in black. The foggy marshes and rundown homes lend incredibly well to the gothic style, as well as the horror coming from a very insidious spirit are sure to scare you and creep you out.